Draft connection



Patehted A N n W N "IN WILLIAM E. WOODARD, 01E FdREST HILLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO FRANKLIN RAILWAY SUPPLY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

DRAFT CONNECTION.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 22, 1922.

Application filed June 27, 1921. SerialNo. 480,539.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. WOODARD,

a citizen of the United States, residing at My invention relates to draft connections,-

and especially to draft connections of the type commonly used between railway locomotives and their tenders wherein a plurality of draft bars are employed. In such draft connections as usually constructed,

there is a main service draft bar which normally constitutes the activeconnection and takes the entire tractive load, and a safety draft bar which comes into action and takes the load only in emergencies, when the service draft bar has failed. A draft connection of this general type, (commonly known as the Unit safety bar), is shown in United States Patent No. 1,257,859, ranted February 26, 1918, to Charles L.

eisler.

I aim to obviate a serious drawback of double bar draft connections heretofore used: namely, a liability of the draft bars to transverse bending stresses and strains during service, encountered when the locomotive and tender undergo considerable angular displacement, vertically, relatively to one another,-as in passing over a sharp hump or crest in the track, or a sharp hollow. I also aim to minimize the vertical space required by the draft connection, especially on the locomotive so that it shall not interfere with other parts of the locomotive structure and equipment. This is a matter of great practical importance on locomotives equipped with the booster shown in United States Patent No. 1,339,395,--granted May 11, 1920, to Howard L.- Ingersoll. further aim, at the same time, to render the coupling and uncoupling of locomotive and tender quite easy, convenient, safe, and expeditious. p i

How these and other advantages can be realized through my invention will appear from my descrlption hereinafter of the best form ofembodiment at present knownto me.

In' the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a vertical longitudinal section through a locomotive and tender draft connection conveniently embodying my invention.

F1g. 2 is a plan view of the draft bars, with certain accessory parts in horizontal SFGQtIOJfI as indicated by the line 2-2 in The locomotive and tender end frames 5 and 6 are shown as provided with the usual buffer structures 7 and 8. On the tender frame 6 is a draft head 9 having a pair of draft bar pockets (or a double pocket) 10, 11, whlch may-be of the usual unit safety bar construction. On the locomotive frame 5 is a draft head 12 having a. single draft bar pocket 14 which resembles the usual construction in its relation "to-the rest of the frame, except that it occupies considerably less space vertically and does not extend downward so far. The service draft bar 15 s uppermost, wlth one apertured portion 16 1n the upper tender pocket 10 and its other apertured end portion 17 in the locomotive pocket 14. The safety or emergency draft ar 20'is below the service bar 15, with one apertured end portion 21in the lower tender pocket 11 and its other apertured end portion 22 in the locomotive pocket 14, directl beneath the bar end 17. The draw bar en s 16 and 21 are adapted to be connected to the tender draw head 9 at either side of the a transverse horizontal web 23 separating the pockets 10 and 11, by means of the usual removable draw pin 24, secured in place in the usual way.

The apertured end 22 of the safety bar 20 embraces a fixed upwardly extending hub or boss 25 on the interior of the pocket 14.

As shown, the service bar end 17 does not rest directly on the safety bar end 22, but on the boss 25. This boss 25 is hollow, and. the service bar end 17 is connected-to the draw'head 12 within the pocket 14 by means of a removable draw pin 26 embraced by said end 17 and extending into said box 25.

As shown, the head 27' ofthe draw pin 26' is at'its lower' end, and the draw pin extendsclearthrough the boss 25 and the bar end 17 as well as .the bottom and top pocket walls 28,311 29.

The'end apertures allow considerably. more lost motion or relative movement between the locomotive and of the safety bar 20' tender draw'heads 9 and 12 than dothose i the draw heads 9 and'12 all the time.

of the service bar 15, so that the safety bar cannot take any tractive effort unless the service bar breaks. Potentially, nevertheless, the safety bar20 is virtually connecteo lrfio e draw bar end 17 serves, it will be seen, to maintainthe safety bar end 22 inproper position with reference tothe boss 25. The safety, bar 20 is slightly bent at 31 and 32 so as to bring the end portion 22 substantially closer to the end portion 17 of bar 15 which minimizes the possibility of strains as the locomotive and tender ride over a sharp crest or a sharp depression in the track. The bending also allows the end portions 21 and 22 to lie substantially horizontal in the pockets 11 and 14, notwithstandin their difference in level.

lt will readily be seen that the vertical dimension of the locomotive draw head and pocket structure 12, 14 is greatly reduced as compared with a construction like that of the tender head and pocket structure 9, 10, 11. This reduction is such as to allow plenty of room beneath the structure 12, 14 for a locomotive booster and its accessories. Not only is this economy of space attained'without sacrifice of clearance above and below the draw bar ends, but iteven permits increased clearances about these ends, so as to obviate all risk of either bar being bent and so weakened or broken by vertical relative displacement or relative angular variation of locomotive and tender.

These advantages are attained without sacrifice ofstrength in any way, since the un supported 'span length of the draw pin 26 between the boss 25 that surrounds this pin and the pocket wall 27 is no greater than the span lengths of the pin 24 at either side of the web or diaphragm 23. As shown,

all the draw head holes for the drawpins 24 and 26 have steel liners 33 which may be accurately finished; fitted, centered, and aligned to give the proper distribution of support and loading for these pins.

very important point in regard to i draft connections is the matter of coupling 'drawheads hereinbefore ofi'erslno difficulty. ln couplin both drawand uncoupling. fWiththecombination of this described,

bars15 and 20 can be inserts and secured in 't'he'locomotive pocket 14, as shown, and

the tender with its double pocket 10, 11 then advanced upon their ends 16, 21 in the usual way;"while inun'coupling, the mere withdrawal of the tenderdrawpin24 leaves the -drawbars 15, 20 free to draw out of the For such case of' tender. pocket 10, 11. coupling and uncoupling, however, it must be possible to effect concurrent insertion or connection (and vice-versa) of both draW-= bars at one, at least, of the draftheadsinterconnected by them,concurrent, that tender frames, one of which is, in a sense equivalent or analogous to the securing or connecting up of both drawbars 15 and 20 at the tender draft head 9 that results when the pin 24 is slipped in, as distinguished from the necessity that exists of inserting. and securing the draw bar 20 at the head. 12 before the drawbar 15 can be inserted or attached. If both of the interconnected draftheads were like the head 12 shown, it would'be impossible to couple them up or uncouple them with any i degree of convenience or quickness.

' heads-9 and 12.

I claim:

1. In a locomotive and tender connection the combination of a pair of draw bar pockets on the tender one above the other, a single draw bar pocket on the locomotive, a hub extending upwardly from the lower portion of the locomotive pocket, a draw bar extending at one end into the upper pocket on the tender and at the other end into the pocket on the locomotive, the locomotive end being adapted to rest upon said hub, a safety bar extending at one end into the lower pocket on the tender, said safety bar being bent upwardly'from said end so as to enter the pocket on the locomotive at the other end and being adapted at the locomotive end to embrace the hub, a pin on the tender for the tive for the end of the. draw bar only,

2; The combination with locomotive and tender frames, one of-which has a single draw bar pocket and the other a double pocket, of a draw bar and pins, and a safety bar shaped to have an end lie in the single pocket with anend of the draw'ba-r and an end he in the second aperture of the double pocket, whereby the safety bar is attachable and detachable from one of the frames concurrently with the draw bar the respective'pin.

3. The'combination with locomotive and has a single draw bar pocket and the other a double ar shaped to have an end'lie in the single pocket with an end ofthe draw bar and an pocket, of a draw bar and pins, and a safety end lie in the second aperture of the double 1 1 5 by removal of 4. The combination with locomotive and aperture of the double pocket, whereby the tender frames, one of which has a single safety bar is attachable anddetachable from permanent draw bar pocket and the other a one of the frames concurrently with the 10 double permanent pocket, of a draw bar and draw bar by removal of the respective pin.

5 pins, and a safety bar shaped to have an In testimony whereof, I have hereunto.

end lie in the single pocket with an end of signed my name. the draw bar and-an end lie in the second WILLIAM E. WOODARD. 

